Iran says testing new nuclear enrichment machine, may irk West

DUBAI/VIENNA - Iran has conducted "mechanical" tests on a new, advanced machine to refine uranium, a senior official was quoted as saying on Wednesday, a disclosure that may annoy Western states pushing Tehran to scale back its nuclear program.

Iran's development of new centrifuges to replace its current breakdown-prone model is watched closely by Western officials as it could allow the Islamic Republic to amass potential atomic bomb material much faster.

Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and that it produces low-enriched uranium only to make fuel for a planned network of atomic energy plants. If processed to a high fissile concentration, uranium can be used for nuclear weapons.